To avoid unnecessary and costly duplication of scholarly resources in print and electronic formats, and in order to maintain access to unique materials and focus on efficient information access and delivery, the Library is considering moving many of our journal subscriptions to "e-only," where we will no longer receive print copies of current issues. Moving to e-only where possible will result in some cost savings and will allow us to redirect staff effort from processing materials to improving user services. Before making these changes to our subscriptions, we will of course confirm that our licenses provide long-term access to the electronic content. Subject librarians in Fine Arts, Hotel, ILR, Kroch, Management, Music, and Olin Libraries are reviewing lists of journals for a possible switch to e-only. Their focus is on specific publishers, and a number of criteria have been developed for the retention of print subscriptions.

Journal Publishers Under Review

This year the review is focusing on journal titles for which a print subscription is currently maintained and online access is currently available to the Cornell community, either directly through the publishers' websites or through other online collections. Foreign language titles were only selectively reviewed this year, but some are included, especially those from Western Europe.

Criteria for Retaining Print Subscriptions

While we anticipate converting a number of subscriptions to e-only, there are reasons why we might want to retain a print subscription:

Function

If the title is especially high profile (e.g., Daedelus, Nature, Lancet, Diacritics).

If the print journal functions better as a browsing journal or current awareness source (e.g., due to poor interface design in the electronic version)

If the quality of images or graphics is demonstrably poorer in the electronic journal.

If the print has significant artifactual or aesthetic value.

Electronic Archival Availability

If there is no guarantee that the publisher will continue to provide access to the electronic volumes to which we subscribed in case of future cancellation.

If there is no evidence of an institutional commitment to the journal's long-term preservation.

Print Retention Responsibility

If CUL has a either a consortial responsibility to retain a paper copy or another strong responsibility to retain a print archive of this journal title or the subject area to which it belongs.

Timeliness & Reliability

If there is any delay between publication of print and availability of online content.

If the provider of the electronic journal is unreliable.

Content

If the content of the print differs from that of the electronic. (e.g., the print version contains significantly more material than the electronic version.

As always, we appreciate your assistance in our efforts to maintain a strong collection.
fm, 3/20/07